A Voice Echoing

(cover art by the incredible @sacree_frangine on instagram)

#BlackLivesMatter

This week's blog is a little different. I didn't want to post my regular content, but I also feel like, even though the readership on my blog is small, it is still a space that I can use to educate others.

I advise and encourage you to check out these lists:

25 Books by Contemporary Black Authors

10 Black Authors Everyone Should Read

In a horrifying realization, I haven't read a lot of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) literature since I graduated from college. I want to rectify that, so I'll be tackling these lists, too.

I pray that you listen and learn from communities and cultures that are not your own, especially if you are white and cis. It's not comfortable, but it's necessary. One of my memories of my grandfather, a man who came to this country from Mexico with a 3rd-grade education and not much else, called out my cousin for dating a Black girl. Minorities, we have work to do, too. Watch this.

There are thousands of petitions, cases, articles, and creators out there who are asking for us to listen, not to correct, or degrade, or argue, just to listen, and then to act. Make a difference. It's your obligation.

Finally, a bit of advice that I haven't seen. To any college student out there currently putting together their fall 2020 schedule: no matter what your major is, you need humanities/English/social science courses. No offense to the classics, but there are a plethora of courses focused on minorities and work by minority writers. I've taken a course on African literature, Chican@ writers, and courses that focus on intersectional spaces. Even if it's scary, fill your schedule with those.

See you next week.

x Bea